Blog

So this week with Will and I get ready to navigate the unknown and somewhat frightening realm of false information related to brands with my good friend Ant Cousins. In this episode of Socially Unacceptable, we explore effective strategies to protect your brand’s reputation. Our guest, Ant Cousins, is a seasoned professional in the IT and defence industries, and he shares his valuable insights with us. He guides us through the intricate web of false information that poses a threat to all marketing campaigns and brand credibility in the year 2024. Tune in as we carefully examine the structure of ... Read more

So here we are the final episode of the podcast in 2023 and I have to admit I am pretty happy with how we have done. I received the graphic below from our podcast host yesterday. I think we have done pretty well in six months and I have learnt so much about podcast marketing that I am going to use for my clients.  This latest “Socially Unacceptable” episode with Neville Hobson – a right digital Odysseus, if you ask me – was an absolute corker. We traversed the ever-shifting sands of online communication, exploring the heady mix of brands, ... Read more

As a professional in the marketing and PR industry, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is already starting to revolutionise our field, offering unprecedented opportunities to enhance creativity, streamline content creation, and improve crisis communications. However, this rapid advancement has also brought about significant ethical and legal concerns, requiring us to tread carefully and responsibly. This caused me and Will to say – we should discuss this on the podcast and highlight some of the things that are good and some of the things we should maybe be considering. AI has emerged as a powerful ... Read more

I am delighted to announce that, as of this morning, our podcast is officially average. This is because the average show publishes a total of 14 episodes and that is what Will and I have done with the latest instalment of Socially Unacceptable. Despite that fun fact today we delve into an interesting business story, one that’s as unconventional as it is inspiring. I think this story shows you can take any product and disrupt a market if you work hard and are clever about it. Imagine having a market void of established brands with an expanse of unbranded products ... Read more

We have had a busy time in PPR HQ recently recording quite a lot of new podcasts and today I’m thrilled to share a captivating episode where I had the privilege of sitting down with the brilliant Paul Sutton. Now I have known Paul for well over a decade and he has a whopping two decades of digital marketing expertise under his belt. He is not just a successful PR freelancer (PR Freelancer of the Year) but he was also the mastermind behind a luxury pet accessories business that he has never talked openly about before now. First and foremost, ... Read more

This blog post from me has been created from our latest podcast episode with my good friend Stephen Waddington, former President of the CIPR (Chartered Institute of Public Relations). In this interview, we discussed his insights and experiences in the PR industry, which made for a fascinating chat. As the President of the CIPR, Stephen Waddington (Wadds) has been at the forefront of the industry for 29 years, witnessing its evolution through various stages and guiding tons of professionals toward success. In this interview, we explored Wadds’ personal journey in the PR industry, discussed the challenges faced by PR professionals, ... Read more

A revolution is happening in the craft beer world, with new brands debuting and marketing/branding strategies being altered. To discuss these developments further, this podcast episode features my good friend and Head of Marketing at Brew York, Rachel Auty, who has extensive knowledge on both beer and marketing. As a director of Beer Writers, Auty is also the founder of Women on Tap, a programme created to recognise and promote the success of women in the brewing sector. Themes discussed: Going beyond just a nice name and logo In the ever-increasing craft beer sector, establishing a unique and recognisable brand ... Read more

Understanding the intricacies of B2B marketing has been a complex journey for me working in PR for 25 years. In our latest podcast episode, Will and I had the pleasure of discussing this topic with seasoned growth marketing specialist, Tom Basgil. Tom guided us through the labyrinth of B2B marketing, uncovering insights about the future of the field, along with its latest trends and strategies. Our discussion began with the exploration of short-term ROI. Tom provided insights into the tactics used by brands to demonstrate ROI and how they balance short-term and long-term strategies. We learned that advertising, for instance, ... Read more

In this week’s podcast, Will and I take a closer look at influencer marketing, the art and science of leveraging popular figures to promote a brand. It has evolved significantly over the years and transformed from celebrities charging for a single tweet to a sophisticated system that drives brand growth exponentially. Today, influencers play a vital role in the marketing world, bringing about an undeniable magnetism that attracts consumers like never before. Statistics show a whopping 400% increase in influencer marketing in the UK, demonstrating the power of this evolving strategy. A notable shift is the preference of millennials for ... Read more

In our most recent podcast, we had a discussion with Chris Simmance, the Founder of the OMG Center. The purpose of the Centre according to Chris is to accelerate the expansion of digital companies through consultancy, mentorship, training, and support. He was also the Chairman at Optus Digital, where he constructed a search-based digital agency and grew the agency to offices in London and Manchester. He had a fascinating story to tell about this. Chris had an unsuccessful stint working in travel sales for a ski resort, but he was determined to push himself and he taught himself SEO. This ... Read more